Shure AONIC 40

Design and features:

This Bluetooth wireless noise canceling home/studio-style over-ear model provides very good sound and excellent active noise reduction. Its closed design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment. The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music, and the audio cable can be detached to get it out of the way when the headphones are being used for noise reduction only. The headphones have medium sensitivity when powered regardless of whether they are in noise cancelling on, ambient monitoring, or noise cancelling off mode, so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and all but the lowest-powered portable audio devices; when unpowered they have medium high sensitivity so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and lower-powered portable audio devices. The AONIC 40 has a volume control plus an integrated microphone and player function controls. Additional features include - The headphones have an inline microphone and inline remote with and integrated volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls. Can be connected to a computer via the USB charging/data cable to play audio files stored on the computer and for communication (audio/video conference) use. Earcups fold and swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage. Has 3 noise cancellation modes that can be selected using the Shure music app (Max, Normal and Light) and ten different levels of ambient monitoring. The headphone noise cancellation control button located on left earphone toggles between ANC on and ambient mode, but can be long pressed to turn ANC off. Has button controls for music player transport, call connect/disconnect, volume, noise cancellation/ambient sound monitoring, and voice control activation. Has power on/off, Bluetooth connection, ANC environment modes and battery level voice or tone announcements. Supports digital voice assistants control when used with Bluetooth connected devices that have that feature. Supports Bluetooth multipoint pairing to allow connection for up to 2 devices at the same time. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide 5 hours of playtime. ShurePlus Play app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to switch between and adjust noise cancellation and ambient noise modes, turn on/off voice prompts, adjust EQ and EQ presets, manage paired Bluetooth device connections, check battery levels, customize automatic power off, and update firmware. The AONIC 40 comes with a detachable 49-inch long standard audio cable, USB-A to USB-C charging/data cable, carrying case, Quick start guide. This model comes with Home/Studio-Style Bluetooth wireless noise canceling closed over-ear headphones that come with a detachable 49-inch long standard audio cable, USB-A to USB-C charging/data cable, carrying case, Quick start guide, Warranty book.

Sound quality:

We found the AONIC 40 delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise cancelling mode engaged (set to Max in the ShurePlus Play app) and the ShurePlus Play app set with EQ off (the as received state of the headphone) the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but somewhat prominent and tubby and the crowds the lower midrange a bit. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, but a bit hazy, and the upper midrange is a bit etched, grainy, and bright. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but a bit prominent and sizzly. While the sound has a good sense of liveliness, it is closed (sound-wise it's obvious you have something plugging your ears) but it does a good job of recovering room ambience. Mixed character - warm bass with neutral midrange and treble. The overall sound can be summarized as somewhat bassy and a bit grainy and etched. Noise Canceling: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. Orientation changes the noise reduction characteristic - when the noise is coming from the front a bit more high frequency noise can be heard. Very faint rushing sound can be heard when there is no audio program to drown it out.

Comfort and Fit:
We found that these headphones produce a sense of moderate pressure around the ears. As typical of over-ear models the ear pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use. Users with larger ears might find that the over-the-ear fit of the ear pads feel a bit cramped, or that the ear pads sit on, rather than around their ears; in that case the less-than-ideal fit around the ears might interfere with the earpad seal and reduce the noise reduction capabilities of the headphone. Users with larger heads might find that the headband does not have enough adjustment range to allow the earcups rest properly over the ears and/or that the headband presses uncomfortably on the top of the head. Some users may find that when they lean far forward the headphones feel unstable and shift forward, but not to the point of falling off. When wearing this model while walking the muffled vibrations from each foot step can be heard through the headphones. When the audio cord is used the sound of it rubbing on clothing may be faintly heard through the earphones.

The Shure AONIC 40 home/studio-style Bluetooth wireless noise canceling headphones have a closed over-ear design. These iPod/cellphone-centric headphones can be used with the noise canceling feature turned on or off, and are intended for use with iPods, iPads, some other cell phones, as well as standard audio devices. The headphones have an inline microphone and inline remote with and integrated volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls. Can be connected to a computer via the USB charging/data cable to play audio files stored on the computer and for communication (audio/video conference) use. Earcups fold and swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage. Has three noise cancellation modes that can be selected using the Shure music app (Max, Normal and Light) and ten different levels of ambient monitoring. The headphone noise cancellation control button located on left earphone toggles between ANC on and ambient mode, but can be long pressed to turn ANC off. Has button controls for music player transport, call connect/disconnect, volume, noise cancellation/ambient sound monitoring, and voice control activation. Has power on/off, Bluetooth connection, ANC environment modes and battery level voice or tone announcements. Supports digital voice assistants control when used with Bluetooth connected devices that have that feature. Supports Bluetooth multipoint pairing to allow connection for up to 2 devices at the same time. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide 5 hours of playtime. ShurePlus Play app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to switch between and adjust noise cancellation and ambient noise modes, turn on/off voice prompts, adjust EQ and EQ presets, manage paired Bluetooth device connections, check battery levels, customize automatic power off, and update firmware. The AONIC 40 comes with a detachable 49-inch long standard audio cable, USB-A to USB-C charging/data cable, carrying case, Quick start guide, Warranty book and is covered by a 24-month parts/24-month labor warranty.